Realizing that she was standing there like an idiot, Chaeyoung shook herself out off her trance and hurried into the school building. Recalling Jeongyeon's instructions, she quickly found the faculty room and introduced herself to the teachers. She was informed that she was in Class 1-A. She decided to head to her classroom immediately, instead of wandering around and risking getting lost in her new school.

First-year classrooms were located on the third floor. Chaeyoung trudged up two flights of stairs. She scanned the third floor hallway and found the door leading to 1-A. She slid the door open, expecting to be the first one in the classroom.

She wasn't.

A girl who was barely taller than her stood across the room. She seemed to have just opened the windows and was enjoying the morning breeze. Her bright blonde hair shined as a stark contrast against the classroom's practical, no-nonsense aesthetic. The sound of the sliding door startled her, and she spun to face the door quickly. When she saw Chaeyoung standing at the door, a wide grin spread on her face.

She eagerly strode over to the door and stopped right in front of Chaeyoung. "Hi! I can't believe we're getting a transfer student this year!" she gushed excitedly. She extended her hand and introduced herself, "My name's Kim Dahyun. I guess we'll be classmates this year."

Despite the abrupt interaction, Chaeyoung couldn't help smiling; something about this girl was instantly likeable. She shook Dahyun's hand quickly and introduced herself in return. Glancing down at her classmate's outstretched arm, Chaeyoung was mildly surprised by her clear, pale complexion; it put the classroom's white walls to shame.

Noticing Chaeyoung's observation, Dahyun chuckled and joked, "I know, I know, I can totally blend in with the walls at this school." That quick, witty response only made Chaeyoung like this interesting girl even more.

"So... can I just sit anywhere?"

"Yeah, it's just the first day after all. We'll probably have our assigned seats by the end of the week. Until then, sit next to me!" Dahyun pulled Chaeyoung over to the back row and gestured at the empty seat beside hers. After setting her bag down, Chaeyoung leaned over the open window and admired the view.

Their third-floor classroom was located almost directly above the school entrance. A steady stream of students, all dressed in JYP Academy's stylish signature skirt and blazer, walked on the main path. The girls walked either in pairs or small groups, speaking quietly. The loudest voices came from girls who greeted their friends excitedly from afar, then immediately resumed talking in relatively hushed tones.

The loud greetings usually occurred around the fountain area, where Chaeyoung had last seen Jeongyeon-unnie. She scanned the grounds and quickly found her childhood friend, standing authoritatively near the fountain and holding a clipboard.

"Ah, that's the student council. They're in charge of uniform checks. You have to make sure your uniform is tidy, or they'll give you a warning. Three strikes will earn you a penalty chore somewhere in the school," explained Dahyun, leaning against the window sill beside Chaeyoung.

"Jeongyeon-unnie should have mentioned that," said Chaeyoung absentmindedly.

"Jeongyeon-unnie?" Dahyun tilted her head in confusion. "I thought you just transferred here. How do you already know Yoo Jeongyeon?"

"Oh, Jeongyeon-unnie and I grew up together. She actually gave me a ride to school," explained Chaeyoung.

Dahyun whistled to show her surprise. "Yoo Jeongyeon is one of the most popular students at this school. That's actually why she's in the student council. It's basically a popularity contest to elect the Roses."

"Roses?" Why is she suddenly talking about flowers? thought Chaeyoung, quizzically raising her eyebrow at Dahyun.

"My bad, I should have been clear," laughed Dahyun, playfully slapping Chaeyoung's arm. "Roses are the titles given to the three officers of the student council. They organize events for the students, act as representatives outside school, and also act as the disciplinary arm of the faculty."

"That's a lot of responsibilities for three people to handle!" exclaimed Chaeyoung incredulously. It baffled Chaeyoung to know that Jeongyeon-unnie had a side like that; back home, she had always seemed so laidback and casual, randomly barging into Chaeyoung's room for snacks and company.

Chaeyoung squinted harder at the fountain, trying to identify the other Roses aside from Jeongyeon-unnie. However, instead of two others, she counted another five people holding clipboards and greeting the students who passed. Unlike Jeongyeon, who was distinguishable due to her short hair, the others were too far for Chaeyoung to discern their features.

"Well, the Roses don't do all that work by themselves," added Dahyun, pointing in their direction. "They have their mentees to help them. The official term is Rosebuds but that cheesy name isn't really catching on. We usually just call them the Roses' mentees. They help the Roses out with student council work. Most of the time, they end up being the next Roses in the coming school year."

Roses? Rosebuds? What the heck is JYP Academy supposed to be? A flower garden? thought Chaeyoung, bemused by all the new terminology.

"You're really good at explaining things, Dahyun," praised Chaeyoung earnestly. "One more thing though: what are mentees?"

"And here I thought I was so good at explaining things, I actually forgot to explain that last bit!" Dahyun laughed and continued, "JYP Academy has a tradition called the peer mentorship system. Basically, upperclassmen and underclassmen pair up as support. The upperclassmen have to teach the underclassmen how to behave like a proper lady, while the underclassmen learn by example and show their respect."

"So it's like an institutionalized, cross-generational, symbiotic friendship?" Chaeyoung could barely hide the confusion in her tone.

"Close enough!" Dahyun grinned and added, "Don't worry, you don't have to think about that for now! Oh, I hear footsteps in the corridor. Classmates will probably be arriving soon. Let me introduce you to them! But before that, I wanna be the first to say: Welcome to JYP Academy, Son Chaeyoung!"